Congressman Kweisi Mfume's Statement on the Passage of the Build Back Better Act

Press Release

Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) issued the following statement on the passage of the Build Back Better Act by the U.S. House of Representatives today:

"I proudly fought for the Build Back Better Act and hail its passage today. This transformational legislation is another example of the hard work the U.S. House is doing to get families and communities through the pandemic," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. "These unprecedented times require the kind of thoughtful, yet bold action we are taking on behalf of everyday people," he added.

The Build Back Better Act will improve the lives of virtually every American by (i) making transformational investments in children and caregivers; (ii) lowering health care costs; (iii) expanding health care coverage; (iv) lowering the cost of higher education; (iv) addressing America's housing crisis; and (v) addressing the climate emergency. Here's how.

Transformational Investments in Children and Caregivers

Over 6 million 3 and 4-year old children in America (138,156 children in Maryland) will receive access to high-quality, universal, free, inclusive, and mixed delivery preschool
370,000 young children from Maryland families will be eligible to receive affordable and high-quality childcare, paying no more than 7% of their income
The enhanced Child Tax Credit will be extended for one year to households earning up to $150,000
An additional 9 million children nationwide (55,000 students in Maryland) will receive healthy and free school meals

Critical Health Care Expansions

Expands Medicare coverage to 34,000 uninsured Marylanders and includes hearing benefits
Provides tax credits to up to 4 million uninsured Americans in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
Strengthens an existing home care program through Medicaid
Repeals the previous Administration's rebate rule that puts seniors' health benefits at risk
Allocates funding to support services for pregnant women, parenting women, and young families

Lowering the Cost of Higher Education

Raises the Pell maximum grant and expands federal student aid eligibility 84,712 students in Maryland who rely on Pell
Provides funds to improve research capacity and research development infrastructure at all universities, including Maryland's 17 minority-serving institutions
Invests in 16 public community colleges in Maryland to enhance workforce programs, sector-based training, and apprenticeships

Addressing America's Housing Crisis

Invests in reducing pricing pressures and housing affordability, including in rural areas
Builds more than 1 million new affordable rental and single-family homes nationwide
Expands rental and down payment assistance for hundreds of thousands of households, including first-generation homebuyers

Addressing the Climate Emergency

Home energy and efficiency tax credits will expand, and rebates will be offered in exchange for electrification efforts
Targeted incentives will spur new domestic supply chains in solar, batteries, and advanced materials
Establishes a Civilian Climate Corps to address extreme weather and legacy pollution
Includes $4,000,000 towards President Biden's Justice40 initiative which would allocate 40% of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments towards communities hit hardest by climate change

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